‘Seinfeldia’ offers little new on landmark comedy

“Seinfeldia” (Simon & Schuster), by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

Eighteen years ago, in one of the most anticipated moments in American television history, fans of “Seinfeld” obsessed over the series ending its nine-season run and struggled with saying goodbye to one of the most influential, hilarious and successful comedies of all time. In a sense, though, the farewell wasn’t entirely necessary.
The show has lived on in perpetuity, with reruns broadcast daily in nearly every corner of the U.S. And, in fits and spurts, we’ve been satiated with both extensions of the show and glimpses into the making of it.
Even though the show has never really gone away, we still crave more — more on the Low Talker and Bob Sacamano, on coffee-table books and mastering your domain and achieving “Serenity Now.” The proliferation of so much material likely complicates an author’s ability to add something new to the conversation, though, and despite her noble efforts in “Seinfeldia,” Jennifer Keishin Armstrong does little to broaden perspective on the show for its most ardent fans.
Though Armstrong spoke to numerous writers and others involved in “Seinfeld,” the new light they shed is limited. The book did not include fresh conversations with the main characters or David, relying instead on other published comments and the aforementioned litany of easily available sources.
It’s not that interesting threads are completely missing from “Seinfeldia.” We learn of a scrapped episode in which Elaine weighed buying a handgun, of Richards’ aloofness on the set and of a York Peppermint Pattie standing in as the famed airborne Junior Mint to make sure the camera could easily track it.
But couldn’t the author even track down more members of the fascinating parade of ancillary characters who might offer some new stories? Not Jerry Stiller, who played George Costanza’s father? Not Wayne Knight, of Newman fame? Not the actors behind David Puddy or J. Peterman or Susan Ross? Matt Sedensky, AP